Please Help Martin Tall
Donation protected
A fun night out in Chiang Mai, Thailand proves disastrous:
On the evening of the 11th January 2018, a group of old friends travelling in Thailand made their way to a local bar in Chiang Mai (a busy city north of Bangkok), to celebrate the arrival of other friends visiting the same area.
The group were enjoying the evening having a few beers and listening to a live band as they shared stories and caught up on life. The night eventuated into a birthday celebration for one member of the group and the night was set to be full of plenty of laughs and fond memories.
The venue closed somewhat early so the group crossed the road and continue celebrations in another bar.
30 minutes after settling into the new scene, an unprovoked altercation occurred with a heavily intoxicated, larger group of young men. At this stage it's still unclear as to what instigated the initial interaction, but its been indicated that a racial slur accompanied by spitting may have caused a member of our peaceful party goers to return a comment in retaliation.
Within moments of this, a clearly unjustified violent outburst from numerous members of the offending group seen our (later hospitalised friend) brutally attacked by larger men, outnumbering the peaceful crew by at least 2:1.
The shocked and injured group of friends managed to make their way out of the venue to the relevant safety of the street in order to remove themselves from the situation for which they were rapidly overwhelmed.
The attackers followed our group of friends outside and continued a barrage of assaults, dislocating the shoulder of an innocent member of the group, Shane, and blackening both his eyes caused by kicks and punches to his face as he lay helpless on the ground, outnumbered and outgunned. Shane received medical care that evening and was released from the hospital the following afternoon and is making a recovery as he remains in Chiang Mai to support Martin, our severely injured friend.
This brings us to the reason behind the GoFundMe campaign.
During this time, as Shane was being beaten to the ground, another attacker ran from the venue straight towards our main victim, and in an act of total cowardice, smashed a large bottle directly into the face of Martin, who was knocked unconscious by the sheer force of the impact.
The police have not been the greatest help and identifying the culprits (after they fled the scene following the bottle impact) has not been easy and is ongoing.
Martin's nose was shattered, breaking the bones into 8 pieces, received glass fragments in his right eye, multiple fractures to the eye socket and cheek bone, severed his upper lip to the bone, damaged & loosened 4 of his front teeth, heavily bruised numerous ribs, a pulled hamstring muscle on his right leg, lacerations to his hands, and abrasions to his knees and elbows.
Fortunately for Martin, the impact of hitting the ground unconscious didn’t shatter his skull, however he is overcome by severe headaches and his vision is blurred, along with a vertigo sensation.
Martin was operated on the following day by a local surgeon after being transported to a larger hospital with the required facilities and experience to perform the surgery. A titanium plate was implanted around his right eye socket and upper cheek bone to support multiple fractures.
He is now receiving ongoing care but is experiencing difficulties breathing without the aid of oxygen. His jaw is badly swollen and due to his teeth suffering an impact, eating is a painful, laborious exercise.
Martin appears in good spirits considering, and putting on a brave face for his friends.
Our concerns have now turned towards the financial obligations he now faces. Martin’s family are not in a position to offer much assistance and his hospital bill grows with each day he remains there receiving ongoing treatment.
Its been estimated that his bill could go as high as $15,000aud depending on whether more surgery is required, as there is a fear of more glass in the eye, and a dental procedure being required to correct his teeth.
Friends and family have rallied together to meet some of the costs but the larger portion is currently unobtainable.
We are reaching out to anyone compassionate enough to assist in helping Martin cover the costs of this traumatic end to a what was otherwise a fantastic holiday in Northern Thailand.
Your generosity and kindness will be very much appreciated.
Thank-you for taking the time to hear Martin’s story.
** This campaign was created on behalf of my good friend Martin Tall, from Europe, who is currently unable to facilitate the process due to his injuries.
God Speed to you my friend,
Pete
On the evening of the 11th January 2018, a group of old friends travelling in Thailand made their way to a local bar in Chiang Mai (a busy city north of Bangkok), to celebrate the arrival of other friends visiting the same area.
The group were enjoying the evening having a few beers and listening to a live band as they shared stories and caught up on life. The night eventuated into a birthday celebration for one member of the group and the night was set to be full of plenty of laughs and fond memories.
The venue closed somewhat early so the group crossed the road and continue celebrations in another bar.
30 minutes after settling into the new scene, an unprovoked altercation occurred with a heavily intoxicated, larger group of young men. At this stage it's still unclear as to what instigated the initial interaction, but its been indicated that a racial slur accompanied by spitting may have caused a member of our peaceful party goers to return a comment in retaliation.
Within moments of this, a clearly unjustified violent outburst from numerous members of the offending group seen our (later hospitalised friend) brutally attacked by larger men, outnumbering the peaceful crew by at least 2:1.
The shocked and injured group of friends managed to make their way out of the venue to the relevant safety of the street in order to remove themselves from the situation for which they were rapidly overwhelmed.
The attackers followed our group of friends outside and continued a barrage of assaults, dislocating the shoulder of an innocent member of the group, Shane, and blackening both his eyes caused by kicks and punches to his face as he lay helpless on the ground, outnumbered and outgunned. Shane received medical care that evening and was released from the hospital the following afternoon and is making a recovery as he remains in Chiang Mai to support Martin, our severely injured friend.
This brings us to the reason behind the GoFundMe campaign.
During this time, as Shane was being beaten to the ground, another attacker ran from the venue straight towards our main victim, and in an act of total cowardice, smashed a large bottle directly into the face of Martin, who was knocked unconscious by the sheer force of the impact.
The police have not been the greatest help and identifying the culprits (after they fled the scene following the bottle impact) has not been easy and is ongoing.
Martin's nose was shattered, breaking the bones into 8 pieces, received glass fragments in his right eye, multiple fractures to the eye socket and cheek bone, severed his upper lip to the bone, damaged & loosened 4 of his front teeth, heavily bruised numerous ribs, a pulled hamstring muscle on his right leg, lacerations to his hands, and abrasions to his knees and elbows.
Fortunately for Martin, the impact of hitting the ground unconscious didn’t shatter his skull, however he is overcome by severe headaches and his vision is blurred, along with a vertigo sensation.
Martin was operated on the following day by a local surgeon after being transported to a larger hospital with the required facilities and experience to perform the surgery. A titanium plate was implanted around his right eye socket and upper cheek bone to support multiple fractures.
He is now receiving ongoing care but is experiencing difficulties breathing without the aid of oxygen. His jaw is badly swollen and due to his teeth suffering an impact, eating is a painful, laborious exercise.
Martin appears in good spirits considering, and putting on a brave face for his friends.
Our concerns have now turned towards the financial obligations he now faces. Martin’s family are not in a position to offer much assistance and his hospital bill grows with each day he remains there receiving ongoing treatment.
Its been estimated that his bill could go as high as $15,000aud depending on whether more surgery is required, as there is a fear of more glass in the eye, and a dental procedure being required to correct his teeth.
Friends and family have rallied together to meet some of the costs but the larger portion is currently unobtainable.
We are reaching out to anyone compassionate enough to assist in helping Martin cover the costs of this traumatic end to a what was otherwise a fantastic holiday in Northern Thailand.
Your generosity and kindness will be very much appreciated.
Thank-you for taking the time to hear Martin’s story.
** This campaign was created on behalf of my good friend Martin Tall, from Europe, who is currently unable to facilitate the process due to his injuries.
God Speed to you my friend,
Pete
Organizer
Peter Britten
Organizer
Winfield QLD
